Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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148 a major Mill No. 5 component is its theater—a nod to Lowell's long history as a city for film lovers. In reference to the many now-closed theaters and movie palaces, Lich- oulas opened Luna Theater. "We wanted a full experience here, and film is a critical piece of it." People are coming, but the swell of interest is still building. "We are learning as we go," he says. The independent film buffs aren't showing up as much as he would like, so he has adjusted the programming to include more "throwbacks" and classics. When indie films are up for an Oscar, there's a little surge of alternative film lovers who come in. "If we can increase our reach and get film buffs here more consistently, we will show more independent first-run films." He even visualizes partnering with outside organizations so that they can use the theater to promote what they are doing—for example, showing a film about the Whistler Museum for a discounted price will get people into the mill while supporting the museum. "They get something interesting for their constituency, and we get added viewership and exposure," explains Lichoulas. "We are looking for win- wins." And he looks in all kinds of places. For instance, he has donated a bit of land to Mill City Grows both for educational opportunities and for growing produce to be shared at The Farm Market. Like the theater and the market, the live music scene is also gaining momentum. Currently, on Wednes- day and Thursday evenings and after the Sunday market, there is live jazz in the movie theater, and during the market one of two bands sets up on stage to play for the browsing crowd. Of the overall project Lichoulas says: "Everything is doing well—last year, we experienced 100 percent growth. I want to do that again this year." He also wants to increase community involvement. "This is a platform for people to do things. We encourage people to do what they do well and build a commu- nity around it." Cross-collaboration and spon- sorship are two ways to bring people in. Holding workshops is another. "If every business does that, then there are multiple things happening here," notes Lichou- las. "To make a space desirable, activity is important. That's part of how people decide if they like it or not." Another of his strategies is to offer those activities when there are other events happening in the city. "People aren't necessar- ily going to come to Lowell just to come here." He believes they want a diverse experience. "It's about "A Little Bazaar Presents: The Marketplace" (every first Saturday) Story time in the Victorian Lounge (every Sunday at 2 p.m.) The Magical Mystical Movie Club (free children's movie Sundays at 12:05 p.m.) Live music by either the Brown Boot Boys or Hashtag Hoedown (Sundays 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.) First-Sunday Workshops teach people things like how to make a good bone broth or how to grow edible mushrooms (during markets, free) #DogsofMillNo5 (dogs are welcome)